The third astronaut
by FreddysNightmare1984
Summary: What if Dave and Frank wern't the only astronauts on the mission not in hibernation?what if there was a third astronaut,who happens to be an old friend of theirs.what if she had a soft spot for a certain supercomputer? Dave/OC,slight Frank/OC and HAL/OC
1. The begining

**hello all! well, i've _finally_ gotten off my lazy butt and started my 2001: A space odyssey story! this story will be based on the brilliant Stanley Kubrick movie, as i have not yet read the novel(but i hope to soon). i hope that you enjoy this story, and i also apologize for the short length of this first chapter. future chappies will be longer, i swear.**

**DISCLAIMER: i _do not_ own 2001: ASO or any of it's characters. i only own Valerie Clarke**

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><p>She didn't know why she was nervous. She had no reason to be. She'd taken the courses, passed all the tests, she'd been psyching herself up for weeks.<p>

_"I can handle this"_ Valerie Clarke thought, nervously tugging on a strand of her long red hair.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to her best friend, David Bowman, who was standing beside her, smiling. "Everything ok Val?"

Valerie nodded. "Oh yes Dave, everything's fine" she smiled slightly.

"Nervous Val?" that was Frank Poole, Valerie's other best friend. He came up on the other side of her, smiling. He took her hand. "It'll be ok Valerie"

the young woman sighed. The three best friends were about to begin the greatest adventure of their lives, the journey that they had strived for ever since they were kids. In fact, their joint interest in space and the unknown was what initially sparked their friendship. Valerie had known Dave since she was 10 and he was 12, and they had met Frank in middle school.

And now they were about to live their dream.

Valerie looked back and forth between Dave and Frank. "Ready?"

Frank smiled. "As I'll ever be"

Dave nodded. "Yes"

the three of them slowly entered the Discovery One spaceship, which was just moments away from launch. Valerie sighed.

"Good afternoon"

Valerie smiled, her heart beating fast at the sound of the familiar, soft voice. "Well hello HAL!"

"How's it going HAL?" Frank asked as they took their seats.

"Everything is going fine" HAL said. "Are the three of you ready for the mission?"

Valerie sighed, her breath a little uneven. "I... I'm fine"

"Val's just a little nervous" Frank said, putting his hand over hers.

"I don't understand why though!" Valerie said.

"No shame in it Valerie" Dave said reassuringly. "To be honest, I'm a little nervous too"

"there is nothing to worry about" HAL said. "I have complete confidence in the three of you and in the mission. Everything will be fine" Valerie nodded.

"Discovery One, this is mission control" a voice said, crackling to life over the intercom. "We're ready for launch in T minus 20 seconds"

"liftoff in 20... 19... 18..." HAL started counting down in his soft, monotone voice.

_"This is it"_ Valerie thought. _"This is really it"_ her grip on Frank's hand tightened as anticipation coursed through her.

"...3... 2... 1... Liftoff"

as Discovery One lifted off and began it's decent into space, Valerie knew in her heart that this was only the beginning.

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><p><strong>yes, i know, aside from being short, this chapter is also a bit weak. not to worry though, i'm hoping to update soon and have a longer, more interesting chapter for ya. until then, i hope you enjoyed, and <em>PLEASE<em> review! reviews are love :D**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


	2. The interview

**Hello all! I've got a new chapter for you, and I hope you like it. Oh, and I saw 2010: The year we make contact last night for the first time. I really liked it, although, in my opinion, there wasn't enough HAL! Seriously, I can't seem to get enough of that computer. And I also liked how Dave was back, it was nice to see him again. Oh, and for the record, let's just say that, in this fic, Betty isn't Dave's wife. Let's just say that she's an old girlfriend of his. now don't get me wrong, I liked the little Dave/Betty thing, but I'm considering a Dave/Valerie pairing(although I still haven't made a decision as to who Val ends up with yet). If you have a certain pairing in mind, just PM me or say something in a review. Anywho, I'll stop babbling and let you read the story. I hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: i _do not_ own 2001: ASO or any of it's characters. i only own Valerie Clarke**

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><p>Valerie walked down the aisle of the centrifuge, trying not to collide with Frank, who was running laps around the ship. He smiled a little as he ran by her. Valerie giggled. "Watch out Frank, you don't want to run into Dave when he gets back!"<p>

Frank shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm not running into him!"

Valerie giggled again and went to the food dispenser. She made a face as she pulled out the little food slots that fit into the bigger tray. "Ugh, you'd think they'd be able to give us actual _food_ to eat"

"hey, it's better then nothing" Frank said, going and getting his own tray. The two of them then walked over and sat at a small black table that had three TV screens built right into the tables, each screen positioned in front of three separate chairs.

"Do you think we did OK in the interview?" Valerie asked, referring to the television interview they were about to see.

Frank nodded. "Oh sure, of course" he chuckled. "You certainly got a lot of attention Val, what with being the first and only female astronaut on the mission"

Valerie smiled a little. No doubt that being the first and, so far, _only_ female astronaut on the Jupiter mission was quite an accomplishment.

Valerie sighed. "Where the heck is Dave, he's going to miss the interview"

Frank patted her hand. "He'll be here Val, don't worry"

just then, they heard footsteps behind them.

Valerie turned in her seat and smiled. "There you are Dave! You almost missed the interview"

Dave smiled at her. "I wasn't going to miss it" he walked over to the food dispenser as the interview started.

_"Good evening" the announcer said. "Three weeks ago, the American spacecraft, Discovery One, left on its half billion mile voyage to Jupiter. This marked the first manned attempt to reach this distant planet. Earlier this afternoon, The World Tonight recorded an interview with the crew of Discovery at a distance of 80 million miles from Earth. It took 7 minutes for our words to reach the giant spacecraft, but this time delay has been edited from this recording"_

Valerie turned in her seat. "Hurry up Dave, you're missing it"

Dave chuckled, picking up his tray. "All right, I'm coming Val" he walked over and sat beside her.

_"Our reporter, Martin Amer, speaks to the crew" the announcer continued._

Valerie smiled.

_"The crew of Discovery One consists of five men, one woman, and one of the latest generation H-A-L 9000 computers" Amer said. "Three of the five men were put aboard asleep, or to be more precise, in a state of hibernation. They were Dr. Charles Hunter, Dr. Jack Kimball, and Dr. Victor Kaminsky. We spoke with mission commander Dr. David Bowman, and his deputies, Dr. Frank Poole and Dr. Valerie Clark, the only woman assigned to the Jupiter mission"_

Valerie grinned as Frank nudged her.

_"Good afternoon gentleman, Ms. Clark, how is everything going?" Amer continued._

_"Marvelous" Dave said. "We have no complaints"_

_"well I'm very glad to hear that" Amer said. "And I'm sure that the entire world will join me in wishing you a safe and successful voyage"_

_"thank you very much" Valerie said, smiling._

_"Although hibernation has been used in previous space efforts, this is the first time men were put into hibernation before departure" Amer turned to Dave. "Why was this done?"_

_"Well this was done to achieve the maximum conservation of our life-support capabilities, basically food and air. Now the three hibernating crew members represent the survey team. Their efforts won't be utilized until we're approaching Jupiter"_

_"Dr. Poole" Amer said. "What's it like while you're in hibernation?"_

_"Well it's exactly like being asleep, you have no sense of time" Frank said. "The only difference is that you don't dream"_

_"As I understand it, you only breathe once a minute, is this true?"_

_Frank nodded. "That's right, and the heart beats three times a minute and body temperature is down to about three degrees centigrade"_

_"Ms. Clark, you did not have to go through any sort of hibernation, correct?"_

_Valerie nodded. "No Mr. Amer, I did not"_

_"what's it like being the only female astronaut on the mission? I must say, that is quite an accomplishment"_

_Valerie smiled. "Why thank you, and it's not really any different then if I were a male astronaut. I am treated as a member of the crew and not just as a woman. Dr. Bowman, Dr. Poole, and I have been friends for many years, and working with them just makes the mission all the more enjoyable"_

Frank grinned and put his arm around Valerie. "Aww Val, I didn't know you cared"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and listen to the interview Poole"

Frank chuckled and turned his attention back to the monitor.

_"The seventh member of the crew was not concerned about the problems of hibernation, for he was the latest result in machine intelligence. The H-A-L 9000 computer, which can reproduce, although some experts still prefer to use the term 'mimic', most of the activities of the human brain, and with incalculably greater speed and reliability. We next spoke with the H-A-L 9000 computer, who we've learned one addresses as 'HAL'. Good afternoon HAL, how's everything going?"_

_"Good afternoon Mr. Amer. Everything's going extremely well"_

_"HAL, you have an enormous responsibility on this mission, in many ways, perhaps the greatest responsibility of any single mission element. You're the brain and central nervous system of the ship. And your responsibilities include watching over the men in hibernation. Does this cause you any lack of confidence?"_

_"Let me put it this way Mr. Amer" HAL said. "The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error"_

_"HAL, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions?"_

_"Not in the slightest bit. I enjoy working with people. I have a stimulating relationship with Dr. Poole, Dr. Bowman, and Dr. Clarke. My mission responsibilities range over the entire operation of the ship, so I am constantly occupied. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all, I think, that any conscious entity can ever hope to do"_

_"Dr. Poole, what's it like living for most of the year in such close proximity with HAL?"_

_"well it's pretty close to what you said about him earlier, he's just like a seventh member of the crew. You quickly get adjusted to the idea that he talks, and think of him, really, as just another person"_

_"in talking to the computer, one gets the sense that he is capable of emotional responses. For example, when i asked him about his abilities, I sensed a certain pride in his answer about his accuracy and perfection. Do you believe that HAL has genuine emotions?"_

_"Well he acts like he has genuine emotions" Dave said. "Of course, he's programmed that way to make it easier for us to talk to him"_

_Valerie nodded. "Yes, but as to whether or not he has real feelings is something I don't think anyone can truthfully answer"_

Mr. Amer started in on another story then, and the transmission ended.

Valerie smiled at Dave and Frank. "I think that went well. Much better then I expected. I was real nervous!"

"You did fine" Dave said.

"I think you did very well Valerie"

the redhead smiled. "Thank you HAL. You also did very good"

"Thank you"

there was silence for a few seconds as the astronauts finished their food.

"Valerie?"

"Yes HAL?"

"Would you like to play a game of chess? I briefly remember you asking me to teach you"

Valerie sighed. "Maybe later HAL, I have a bit of a headache"

"Oh, all right then" HAL almost sounded disappointed.

Valerie smiled a little. "Would you like to play checkers instead? That game is simple enough for me"

"Yes, checkers sounds nice Valerie"

Valerie nodded and moved to sit in front of HAL's glowing red "eye". "All right then, let's begin"

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><p><strong>well that's it for this chapter. i hope you liked it, and <em>PLEASE<em> review! reviews make me all warm and fuzzy inside. serously though, reviews mean a lot to me, they make me even more eager to continue my fics.**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


	3. Frank's birthday

**hiya! i've got a new chapter for ya, and i hope you like it. i FINALLY got the 2001 novel, and i started reading it a few days ago. i like it so far, and i saw the movie again today(owning the DVD helps with that) and i just had to update. i might as well point out now that there's a bit of Frank/Valerie in this chapter. i think it's cute! anywho, i hope you enjoy this chapter and PLEASE review!**

**DISCLAIMER: i do not own 2001: ASO or any of it's characters. i only own Valerie Clarke**

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><p>After playing checkers with HAL a few times, Valerie decided that she was going to try and get a tan on the special tanning bed that had been built on the ship. She changed into her dark green bikini and headed for the tanning bed, which was all the way on the other side of the ship from where she was.<p>

Frank was already stretched out on the tanning bed, lying on his stomach.

"Excuse me Frank"

Frank sighed irritably. "What is it HAL?"

"We've got the transmission from your parents coming in"

Frank sighed again, moving to lie on his back. "Fine. Put it on here please and take me in a bit"

"Certainly" HAL said, moving the bed closer to the monitor on the wall.

After a few seconds, an image of Frank's parents came up onscreen.

"Hello Frank" Mr. Poole said.

Mrs. Poole smiled. "Happy birthday darling!"

"Many happy returns of the day. Your mother and I are both feeling wonderful. Ray and Sally were going to be here, but at the last minute, Ray's back went out on him again"

Mrs. Poole glanced down at the large cake that was on the table in front of her and her husband. "How do you like your cake dear?"

"Looks great, doesn't it? Sorry you can't join us" Mr. Poole's expression changed, as though he'd just thought of something. "Oh, I ran into Bob the other day, he said to be sure to wish you a happy birthday"

"All my students made me promise to send their birthday wishes too" Mrs. Poole said, laughing. "You know, they talk about you all the time Frank, you're a big celebrity in the second grade. You know we were on television last week"

Mr. Poole nodded. "Yes, your mother and I, and Dave's and Valerie's parents were interviewed about what we thought of our illustrious sons and daughter. You can imagine what we told them. It's being broadcast next Thursday, perhaps you can listen in"

"We were thrilled about Elaine and Bill dear, I'll be glad to get the present for you, but please tell me how much I can spend" Mrs. Poole said.

"Oh, and Frank, about your AGS-19 payments, I think I straightened it out. I talked to the accounting office yesterday and they said you should be receiving your higher rates of pay by next month. There was a pause. "Well Frank, I can't think of anything else to say"

"Oh, give our love to Dave and Valerie" Mrs. Poole said.

"Oh yes, be sure to give them our best regards" Mr. Poole grinned a little. "And Frank..." he paused. "When you get back, I expect you to have a future Daughter-In-Law for me"

Mrs. Poole nodded. "Yes Frank, we are so happy about you and Valerie. She always was such a wonderful girl"

"Except she doesn't have any idea how I feel" Frank thought, his hand reaching into the pocket of his shorts where he kept the ring he planned on giving to Valerie.

"Well son, I suppose we won't keep you" Mr. Poole said. "We wish you the very happiest of birthdays. All the best Frank" then they both broke into song.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Frank, happy birthday to you!"

"See you next Wednesday" Mr. Poole said, and then the transmission ended.

"Happy birthday Frank" HAL said, just as Valerie walked over.

Frank sighed. "Thank you HAL"

"Was that the transmission from your parents?" Valerie asked.

Frank nodded. "Yeah"

"I've always liked your parents" Valerie smiled.

Frank nodded again. "Yeah, they're great" Valerie walked closer to him, folding her arms across her chest. Frank pushed up the goggles he was wearing and looked up at her. "What?"

"Move it"

"why? I just got here a..."

"It's my turn for the tanning bed Poole, so move"

Frank chuckled. "I have another idea"

"And what would that be?"

Frank slid over on the bed, motioning for her to come closer. "We can share"

Valerie laughed. "You've got to be kidding me"

"Nope. Come on, I won't bite"

Valerie sighed, hesitating. "Fine" she said, walking over and stretching out next to Frank. He stretched his arm out behind her so she had something to lay her head on.

"See, this isn't so bad"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess" she sighed and stared up at the ceiling. There was silence for several seconds. Valerie sighed and yawned, the heat from the light above making her sleepy. Without thinking, she snuggled closer to Frank. He stiffened a little, not used to the close contact, although he welcomed it. He slowly lowered his arm so that it was around her shoulders. "Frank?"

"Hmm?"

Valerie closed her eyes. "What do you think we'll find?"

"Once we reach Jupiter?"

"Yeah"

Frank sighed. "I... I honestly can't say Val"

"something wonderful, do you think?"

"Maybe" he looked down at the beautiful redhead beside him. "i can't truely be certain" He sighed and laid his cheek against her head, relishing in the moment of being this close to Valerie. He had a strange feeling that this was the first and last time that he'd ever be able to hold her this way.

He had a feeling that something was going to happen soon, although he couldn't quite figure out what.

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><p><strong>ok, i know the last part of this chapter was sort of sappy, but i like the FrankValerie pairing! i also hope you're enjoying this story so far, and i'm hoping to update again soon. don't forget to review!**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


	4. Questions and Speculations

**Hello all, how goes it? Well I've **_**finally**_** got chapter 4 done for you, sorry it took so long. if my guess is correct, it's been nearly a month since I've last updated this story, and I apologize to those who've been anticipating an update. Well here it is, the update! i hope you enjoy and don't forget to review :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I **_**do not**_** own 2001: ASO or any of it's characters. I only own Valerie Clarke**

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><p>A little while later Valerie sat watching Frank play a game of chess with HAL.<p>

"Hmm…"

Valerie grinned in amusement as she watched Frank try and decide his next move.

"Um, queen takes pawn"

"Bishop takes knight's pawn" HAL replied, making his move.

"Lousy move" Frank muttered. "Rook to king one"

"I'm sorry Frank, I think you missed it" HAL said.

Valerie moved closer to Frank and looked over his shoulder. "Well I'm no chess whiz, so I have no idea"

"Queen to bishop three. Bishop takes queen. Knight takes bishop. Mate" it seemed as though HAL won the game.

Frank sighed. "Well it looks like you're right. I resign" he frowned, feeling a little embarrassed that he'd lost in front of Valerie.

"Thank you for a very enjoyable game" HAL said.

Frank nodded. "Uh, yeah, thank you"

Valerie smiled. "Don't feel too bad Frank, it took me three tries before I was able to win one"

...

Valerie was standing beside Dave, watching him finish a sketch of the hibernating crew. "You're a very talented artist Dave"

he smiled at her. "Thanks Val. You're not so bad yourself"

Valerie blushed. "Oh, I'm not that great"

"Oh come on, I saw those sketches of HAL you did a few days ago. They were very good" Dave chuckled a little. "Although a computer is a bit of an odd subject to draw"

Valerie rolled her eyes as the two of them walked along the centrifuge.

"Good evening Dave, Valerie"

Valerie smiled. "How are you HAL?"

"Everything's running smoothly, and you?"

"Oh I'm just fine HAL" Valerie said.

Dave nodded. "Yes, everything's good"

"Have you been doing some more work?" HAL asked.

"Just a few sketches"

"May I see them?" HAL asked.

"Sure" Dave said, holding his sketch pad toward the computer.

"That's a very nice rendering Dave. I think you've improved a great deal. Can you hold it a bit closer?"

"Sure" Dave leaned forward a bit, holding his sketch pad closer to HAL's eye.

"That's Dr. Hunter isn't it?"

Dave nodded, turning the page.

"By the way, would either of you mind if I asked a personal question?"

Valerie shook her head. "No, not at all"

Dave nodded. "Ask away HAL"

"Well, forgive me for being so inquisitive, but during these past few weeks, I've been wondering if you've been having second thoughts about the mission"

"How do you mean?" Valerie asked.

"Well, it's rather difficult to define. Perhaps I'm just projecting my own concern about it. I know I've never completely freed myself of the suspicion that there are some extremely odd things about this mission. I'm sure you will both agree that there is some truth in what I say"

"Well I don't know, that's a rather difficult question to answer" Dave said.

Valerie frowned a little. She was a little confused. What exactly was HAL talking about?

"You don't mind talking about it, do you Dave?"

"No, not at all"

"What about you Valerie?"

the redhead shook her head. "No HAL, I don't mind either"

"Well… certainly no one could have been unaware of the strange stories floating around before we left. Rumors about something being dug up on the moon. I never gave these stories much credence, but particularly in view of some other things that have happened… I find them difficult to put out of my mind. For example, the way all our preparations were kept under such tight security. And the melodramatic touch of putting Drs. Hunter, Kimball, and Kaminsky aboard already in hibernation after four months of separate training on their own"

"You working up your crew psychology report?" Dave asked.

There was a brief pause.

"Of course I am" HAL answered.

Valerie frowned. Something about the way HAL said that… it was strange. There was something about his tone that caught her attention.

"Sorry about this. I know it's a bit silly" HAL continued.

There was another brief pause.

"Just a moment… just a moment" HAL said. "I've just picked up a fault in the AE-35 unit. It's going to go 100% failure within 72 hours"

"But it's still within operational limits right now?" Dave asked.

"Yes. And it will stay that way until it fails"

_"Way to state the obvious"_ Valerie thought. She turned to Dave. "We'd better get Frank and look into this"

Dave nodded. "HAL, would you say we have a reliable 72 hours until failure?"

"Yes, that's a completely reliable figure"

"Well we'd better bring it in, but first Valerie and I will go over this with Frank and get on to mission control. Let me have the hard copy of it please" Dave said.

HAL printed out a small piece of paper.

Dave stood up. "Come on Val"

Valerie sighed and stood up from her chair. She started to follow Dave, then stopped. She waited till he was a ways away before she turned to HAL. "HAL?"

"Yes Valerie?"

"Is…" she swallowed. "Is everything all right? I mean… You're ok?"

"Yes, I am fine. There's no need for concern Valerie"

She smiled a little. "Good" she hesitated a second before she slowly reached out and placed her hand just below HAL's eye, stroking her fingers along the faceplate in a tender gesture. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you"

"Nor I you Valerie"

Valerie smiled more and sighed before slowly taking a step back and following after Dave.

Little did she know what was about to happen to turn the entire mission into turmoil.

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><p><strong>Well, what do you think? I'm getting really excited about what's going to happen next, and I'll start working on the next chapter A.S.A.P, so be on the lookout for it. Hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and update sooner then I did this time around. Oh, and I'm halfway though 2001 the novel. I <strong>_**LOVE**_** IT, I can barely put it down each night. With luck I'll have it finished in a few days. So anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and **_**PLEASE**_** review!**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


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